NOWCHEM's John Lamont talks about the Business Awards

John Lamont
NOWCHEM

• 2012 Winner: Business Leader of the Year

• 2012 Winner: Employer of Choice
 

Can you briefly describe your business?
Established for over 35 years, Nowchem is a family owned business making Alum Sulphate and Water treatment chemicals. The diversity of the company means it is also a
Manufacturer of speciality chemicals including Pharmaceutical, Organic Cosmetics and a large variety of cleaning and Industrial Chemicals.

What made you decide to enter the Shoalhaven Business Awards in 2012?
The Business awards are an excellent way to review your current practices and benchmark these with other organisations within the region. Latter it also helps add to the history of the business and to look back and see how the company has improved each year.

What did you learn about your business or industry from the process of entering the awards?
It showed how when we focus on people, as well as physical assets, we can achieve so much with the dedication of our staff and how they interact as a team.

It also highlighted to staff the impact the business has within the wider community in regards to sponsorships, community assistance and the ongoing spending with other trades and services.

Could you outline some of the positive outcomes from having entered the Business Awards?
All of the staff were very proud to be associated with the recognition that the awards gave the organisation as a whole.

What advice would you give someone who was considering entering this year?
Enter, use the time to reflect on what you have been doing and what you can achieve.

There is nothing to lose by spending your time, documenting the business and using this review to enter the awards. It is also a great motivating night out for staff, who do not get many opportunities to attend a premier event like this in the Shoalhaven.

Service Excellence Award Winners - Jeni Harvie and Gary Wall

The Anchor Bay Motel's Jeni Harvie and Gary Wall  entered the Shoalhaven Business Excellence Awards for the first time last year and took out the Service Excellence category with their thoughtful and consistent approach to running their motel.

Can you briefly describe your business?

The Anchor Bay Motel is a 12-room motel overlooking the Shoalhaven River in Greenwell Point. It provides three levels of accommodation: Standard, Deluxe and Waterfront Suites. We primarily cater for couples, trades people and business executives seeking a quiet place to relax and recharge.
What made you decide to enter the Shoalhaven Business Awards in 2012?
Over the previous five years, we had built the business substantially, tripling our turnover and occupancy. We had many repeat customers and our reviews were excellent. We were seeking an independent assessment of our efforts and wanted to see how we compared with our peers. We also thought the awards would raise Greenwell Point’s profile in the local area. The township is just a wee dot on the Shoalhaven map and many people don’t realise how picturesque and tranquil it is. The awards offered us the opportunity to gain some very positive publicity.

What did you learn about your business or industry from the process of entering the awards?

The questions asked as part of entering the awards focused our attention on the business operation. As we worked through the questions, we realised how far we had progressed and how comprehensively we had adapted to a changing environment, particularly the internet. We embraced online marketing early and this has proved to be our lifeline in a very competitive industry.

 

Could you outline some of the positive outcomes from having entered the Business Awards?

By entering the awards, we were forced to review our business and take stock of the entire operation. We had to describe the business, outline our achievements, reflect on our progress and discuss our vision for the future. We had never done this before and it proved a healthy and satisfying process which gave us a real insight into our product.

We were named as a finalist in three categories and ultimately won the Service Excellence award. This was very gratifying and provided great publicity for our business and the village of Greenwell Point.

It was also wonderful to meet the award judges, all of whom are professional people who passionately believe in the Shoalhaven region and promoting business excellence. Interacting with them was an inspiration in itself.  

"Our approach to customer service: Greet every guest with a smile and cheerful greeting, inquire about their day, give them a Cartoscope map and information about where to go for a meal/walk/fish/bike ride etc. We book them into restaurants, cruises, other motels (if we are booked out), order the courtesy bus. On departure, we help them plan their trip and  suggest places of interest along the way. If there is a problem, we resolve it quickly, almost always in the cusomer's favour."

What advice would you give someone who was considering entering this year?

Don’t hesitate! It is a very worthwhile process. Read the questions carefully and answer them honestly and comprehensively. Don’t hesitate to sing your own praises. You must be proud of what you are doing and have the confidence to promote your product. Not everyone can be a winner, but you learn a lot about your business along the way and the judges are encouraging and supportive. They may even offer invaluable advice and are good contacts for future business needs.

Why I entered the Business Excellence Awards...

The 2013 Shoalhaven Business Excellence Awards are now open. Previous winners tell us how entering, and winning, has made a real difference to how they and others see their business.

Brian Bramble
Clifton Accountants

• 2012 Winner:
Excellence in Professional & Commercial

Can you briefly describe your business?
Clifton Accountants are Accountants and Business Advisors with offices in the Shoalhaven and Southern Highlands. We engage with our clients to help them develop their business to be all they want it to be, to their level of success and satisfaction. We take a team approach, working with our clients to help improve their profitability, increase cash flow, grow at a greater rate than their competitors, structure for asset protection, move towards succession or a sale, whilst minimising tax and retiring financially secure.

What made you decide to enter the Shoalhaven Business Awards?
We saw the business awards as a chance to benchmark ourselves against other professionals in the Shoalhaven. And equally as an opportunity to promote our business amongst a gathering of the best businesses in the area.  We really enjoy mixing with successful people and finding out what they do in their businesses.  We’re also a bit different to other accountants in that we’re active self-promoters!

What did you learn about your business or industry from the process of entering the awards?
We were forced to think about our service offerings and how we engage with our clients.  This ”just happens” on a day to day basis, so it was good to actually analyse why we do what we do to make sure our actions are in line with our goals and philosophy.

Could you outline some of the positive outcomes from having entered the Business Awards?
Well naturally, winning gave us brag points.  To be able to use that in our promotions and marketing was really beneficial.  It was surprising and a great feeling to have people contact us that we normally may not have had contact with.  And the dinner and awards night was a great opportunity to have a relaxed catch up with a whole host of businesses.  It made us also realise that to be doing the best for our clients we had to keep raising the bar.

What advice would you give someone who was considering entering this year?
Don’t let doubt about whether you’re good enough or embarrassment about putting yourself forward stop you. Take the focus off winning. The process is, to our thinking, more important.  See it as a challenge and use it as part of your planning and goal setting.